I Will Remember, Lest They Forget
by Slayer-of-Stars
Summary: Irvine's POV when he first meets his old friends, and they don't remember him. -=Review me!=- ;)


Author's note  
  
I wrote this story during my second playthrough of FF8, right after Irvine was introduced. Knowing then that he knew what he knew (if that makes any sense), I basically tried to capture what he had been thinking when he recognized his old friends, especially Seplhie, and they failed to recognize him.  
  
Mostly, though, I wrote this because Irvine kicks ass, I can totally relate to him, and I wanted to write a fic about him. So nyah. ;)  
  
Oh, and just so you know, I always write in the first person. Grin  
  
Hope you enjoy it! :)  
  
-Eric ("Divinewind")  
  
  
* * * * * * *  
  
The butterfly lands silently on my outstretched finger.  
  
It's beautiful. Its yellow wings shimmer softly in the sunlight as it stares questioningly back at me, wondering what interest I could possibly have in it.  
  
"You're lucky, you know," I whisper to it. "You don't have to answer to anyone. You can just fly away from all your problems. I wish I could be as carefree as you."  
  
"Kinneas! Over here!" Martine's harsh voice shatters the stillness of the moment. I groan, shoot a wince at the butterfly, and flick it away. It flutters off, lazily, and disappears up into the sunlight.  
  
Rising to my feet from where I had been lying in the grass, I collect my shotgun and assume a casual stance, with my back to the company of Balamb SeeD's I'd been assigned to. There are ladies present, I'm told.  
  
Showtime.  
  
I turn, putting on my best smile, my weapon slung casually over my shoulder. There are six of them, and Martine. Two men, three women. Perfect. Enough to go around.  
  
Holstering my shotgun, I thrust my hands in my pockets and saunter over, inspecting each of my new comrades in turn.  
  
First in line is a blond man with an intricate tattoo covering one side of his face. He holds himself confidently, meeting my gaze steadily. His eyes, though, hold an innocence that I'd rarely seen in people over the age of twelve. He smiles and nods slightly in greeting. Friendly enough.  
  
Next is truly striking, black-haired woman. As our eyes meet, she stares back at me defiantly, her chin held high. Strapped to one arm is an older variation of the Rising Sun class of razor discs. Despite its age, however, its edge is true and sharp, without the wear and tear even occasional use would have produced. This one was green as the grass I'd just been lying on.  
  
I'm a sniper. I'm trained to notice things like that.  
  
Third in line is a blonde woman. She nods briskly at me as I strol past, a look on her face that would brook no nonsense. I immediately cross her off my list of potential dates. Ice Queens can be a fun challenge, but usually they're not worth the effort.  
  
Fourth is tall, lean man, dressed all in black, a gunblade hanging at his side. I'm usually pretty good at reading people, but the look he gives me is completely blank. Nothing there at all. I drop my eyes away from his gaze and stare at his boots until I'm past. One to be avoided, he is.  
  
And then I see her, and forget everything else.  
  
She's older now, of course. Her skinny body has changed for the better. Her ample charms are enough to draw any man's attention. Normally, that'd be enough for me. But, in this case, her good looks really don't matter. Her carefree smile as she turns to look at me hasn't changed a bit. Her eyes still have that shine of wonderment and joy that I remember from all those years ago. She looks so happy, standing there in the sunlight, that all I can think of is the butterfly I'd been talking to, scant moments before. Here was someone who was truly carefree and happy, and, to someone like me, whose life is filled with responsibilities, with sadness, with loneliness, that's the truest form of beauty there is.  
  
A smile touches the corners of my mouth, and I say her name quietly.  
  
"Selphie."  
  
She looks at me, blankly.  
  
She doesn't remember.  
  
I can't believe it. I won't believe it. The best times of my life had been spent playing in the sandbox behind the orphanage with Selphie. Sometimes, Zell and Quistis would join us, too. Seifer came to torment Zell when he was bored, and Squall...well, Squall had been Squall-  
  
Squall?  
  
Trying to maintain my composure, I turn back and stride back up the line.  
  
They're all here. Squall, looking serious as always. Quistis. Zell. No Seifer, though. And that dark-haired girl is new. But they're all here. We're back together.   
  
It must be fate. Some ironic twist of the universe had arranged for all of us to meet, here, on this quad, to go off and battle the forces of darkness.  
  
But they didn't remember.  
  
I'm sure of it. Like I said, I'm good at reading people. They honestly don't recognize me, or each other, at all.  
  
I finish my return trip up the line, and stood silently while Martine began outlining our mission.  
  
For the first time in a long time, I'm rendered completely speechless. Squall, Zell, and Quistis. They don't remember. Selphie doesn't remember me? How is that possible? I used to play war with her every afternoon, for crying out loud...  
  
"...should the sniper fail, you will launch a direct assault on the sorceress."  
  
Come on, Irvine. Accept it. They don't remember you. It was a long time ago. Just pretend that everything's normal. Selphie's still watching.  
  
"Thanks for the support, but I don't miss my target."  
  
They may have forgotten, but I still remember.  
  
They will too.  
  
I just need to give them time.  
  
There'll be time later for the past. Right now, we need to concentrate on the present. This is quite possibly the most dangerous and most influential mission in SeeD's history. I need to watch out for myself.  
  
I need to watch out for Selphie.  
  
My beautiful butterfly. You will remember me someday.  
  
  
* * * *  
  
Author's note:  
  
And there you have it.  
  
Expect another story in the near future, describing Irvine's POV at the basketball court. He's such a fun character to write as. :)  
  
Reviews welcome... come tell me how horrible I am! ;)  
  
Thanks for reading!  
  
-Eric ("Divinewind") 


End file.
